Africa Writes have teamed up with University of Alberta Press to bring you an excerpt from Valerie Mason-John’s I Am Still Your Negro. Here’s a blurb of the poetry collection:

Spoken-word poet Valerie Mason-John unsettles readers with potent images of ongoing trauma from slavery and colonization. Her narratives range from the beginnings of the African Diaspora to the story of a stowaway on the Windrush, from racism and sexism in Trump’s America to the wide impact of the Me Too movement. Stories of entrapment, sexual assault, addictive behaviours, and rave culture are told and contrasted to the strengthening and forthright voice of Yaata, Supreme Being. I Am Still Your Negro is truth that needs to be told, re-told, and remembered.

If you’d like a 10% discount, head over to University of Alberta Press’s website to claim it! Use code iAW at check out. The code is available until 31 March 2021.

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Self Portrait 2
CALL ME MY NAME

My Queerness is part of my identity
The love of my chosen families

My Queernesss is nature’s resplendence
The flowering of my ancestry

My Queerness is being out of the closet
The karma of my queer-bashers

My Queerness is the emancipation of all beings
A fact of life

Queer, Zami, Adofuro, Yan Daudu, Ikihindu
Our Pride before Colonizers came

Gender Fluid, Non-Binary, Genderqueer, Gender Variant,
Intersex, Agender, Bigender, Transgender, Pangender, Third
Gender, Gender Neutral, Two-Spirit, Mx, Ze, Hir
Is what we reclaim

My Queerness is your fear
My courage

Your exclusion
My embrace

Your shame
My pride

Your fantasy
My reality

Your perception
My revelation

Now say my Name

Enjoyed the read? Claim your 10% discount now using the code: “iAW”